Ready for the last chapter? =P

I am…and I'm not at the same time. Heh. o.O

I'm sad to see this story go, but I'm excited for the next fic.

I need your help desperately for inspiration, and I need suggestions for a title to my sequel! ^_^

I'm so sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I had lost my inspiration and motivation when I first started to write it.

It was really hard for me to write this. I hope in the end I did it justice.

Things you should know for this chapter:

Bethany went back to Volterra before Edward woke up.

She only knows that Bella saved Edward from complete death.

She knows nothing about Edward's change or extra abilities.

Bella didn't want her to know so that Aro wouldn't know anything yet about them either. If Aro would have found out when Bethany had gone back, then he would have made them go to Volterra sooner. And Bella wanted to make sure Edward graduated first before they had to go.

Hope that helps!

17 Pages for my last Chapter : Enjoy! =D

Lights! Camera! …Read!



Bella's POV

As we got closer I tried to listen in to their minds, but I couldn't hear anything coming from the grand hall.

Were they not waiting for us already?

I looked towards Edward. His brows were scrunched up in confusion.

I turned to Alice.

I can't see anything of what's to come. Everything is just blank…

Edward, Alice, Demetri and I continued our walk and finally came across the two large entrance doors of the great hall.

Demetri opened the doors and walked ahead of us, over to stand his post next to Felix.

Everyone else was already there waiting in their usual spots along with some new faces.

I would really have to be on my guard now.

Aro, Caius, and Marcus stood up in our presence.

Benji appeared from behind them and stood at Aro's side, opposite of Alec and Jane.

That would explain all their silent minds.

The only minds in the room I could hear were Demetri, Alice, and Edward's.

I was surprised to see Benji here still, in the guard no less.

I was almost positive that he would turn away from the Volturi.

I was sure he wouldn't have wanted to stay locked up in this castle after all the years he'd been held hostage in Amun's coven.

From the shadows behind the thrones, Chelsea appeared and stood next to Benji.

I stiffened.

Chelsea wasn't usually in attendance to such meetings.

Did Aro plan to have her here?

Did he expect to use her power on us?

He knows I have the power to stop her.

Why would he even bother to try?

Was he just using her to keep Benji at is side?

Maybe I'm just paranoid.

I mean, Chelsea's power wouldn't work against Benji's right?

We walked closer and stopped a few yards away from them.

Suddenly Caius growled.

"Bethany lied to us! He's still human!" He hissed.

Aro raised his arm up to silence Caius.

"Now, now. I'm sure there is a good explanation for all of this." He stated before turning to Felix. "Go fetch her." He demanded coldly.

Felix nodded and then he was gone.

Demetri stiffened.

His thoughts were all on what he would do to Felix if he were to harm or even touch Bethany in any way.

Though his mental threats were quite graphic and ruthless, I silently wished that one day Felix would suffer that fate regardless…

We waited a few seconds until Bethany and Felix made their way into the room.

Bethany looked confused as she crossed the room to stand beside me.

"What can I do for you, Master?" She asked.

Aro stared her down.

"Will you remind us all of what you said upon your return from Washington." He ordered.

"Well, I said that the two vampires who killed Ella's family, James and Victoria, had found us and kidnapped Edward. We confronted them to save Edward. They wanted to exchange Edward for Ella's help to bring down the Volturi." She said wryly and then paused. "In the end the pack of wolves, the ones that the Cullen's have a treaty with, had jumped out of the woods and destroyed them."

"And what else?" Aro demanded.

He was starting to get irritated.

Bethany furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

She quickly replayed that night in her mind.

We got there…then James told us about what happened with Alice…he started to hurt Edward…Victoria used her gift on us…then Victoria tried to get Bella to hurt Edward, she resisted…James cut Edward…Ella drank from Edward and…oh no.

Bethany gasped and quickly turned to look at Edward.

He has a heartbeat…in all my excitement with Demetri I didn't even notice…I thought…

Caius growled and Bethany looked back at the three brothers.

"I…I'm sorry! I swear I didn't know…I—"

A quick flash of a vision passed through Alice's mind and I instantly crouched low in front of Bethany.

I hissed in Caius' direction and he crouched in defense.

He slightly turned his head at an angle.

"Step away, Isabella! She must be punished for her crime!"

"And what exactly is this crime you speak of Caius?" I hissed still crouched down protecting my best friend.

"She has committed treason!"

"She has done no such thing, Caius!" I growled.

"Isabella." Aro said forcefully, commanding my attention.

I kept my gaze and attention at Caius, knowing him he'd try to get passed me the second I turned my attention to Aro.

"Isabella, look at me when I speak to you." Aro was trying very hard to stay calm yet waves of anger still rolled off of him.

I held back the growl that began to rumble in my chest and hesitantly turned my attention to Aro.

"Get up." He ordered.

"I will get up when Caius stops attempting to kill Bethany." I said trying to keep the anger out of my voice but failing horribly.

"Do not speak to me that way again, Isabella!" Aro said with a fierce growl.

I flinched and I noticed Edward start to step closer to me.

Edward stay back I don't want him to harm you.

I had never heard or felt Aro this angry before. I had barely ever heard him growl before, especially not at me.

I stood up from my crouch but still kept my guard up with Caius.

Aro turned slightly to glare at Caius and he also stood up from his crouch.

"Now, back to the matter at hand…" Aro started.

It was silent for a few moments so I took my chance to speak out.

"Aro, Bethany left before Edward had woken up. She didn't know what happened afterwards. She only came back with as much information as we knew at the time. Yes, I did bite Edward, but after I healed him, we didn't know what would happen. We didn't know if he would change or if he would stay human. What happened after was a surprise to all of us. If anything it is my fault for not letting you know sooner. Bethany has nothing to do with this." I said quickly so I would not be interrupted.

Aro went from angry to intensely curious in a split second.

He turned to look at Edward and was trying to figure out any differences in him.

The whole room fell into complete silence.

All that could be heard was Edward's faint heartbeat.

Aro took a few steps closer and sniffed the air quickly, closing his eyes briefly.

He opened his eyes and looked back at me.

"What happened after he 'woke up'?" he inquired.

"It seems that some of my venom was left within Edward's body after I healed his wounds. The venom didn't change him but it did give him some other vampiric characteristics." I told him.

"Fascinating." Aro's mouth twitched to form a small smile. "Which characteristics has he acquired?" he asked anxiously.

His curiosity intensified.

Of course he'd be utterly intrigued with Edward's changes.

I held back the urge to roll my eyes.

"He can run at our speeds. His senses, especially smell and sight, have intensified. His strength has also improved but it's only about half the strength of a vampire's. His skin is thicker and hard, but not as thick as vampire skin."

"Did he acquire any unusual traits that neither human nor vampires have?" Aro asked.

"When he first woke up, his eyes were violet. We later found out they turn violet when he is hungry. After he eats, they turn green again."

"What about bloodlust?" Marcus asked.

I turned to face him.

"He has no bloodlust. He still has all his human bodily functions. He eats human food. Blood doesn't appeal to him in any way. He can still consume it, but chooses not to." I stated.

"What about his human qualities? You say his skin is thicker now but not as thick as ours. He can still be hurt?" Caius smirked.

I glared at him as I spoke.

"Yes, his skin can still be penetrated but it requires much force." I paused and let out a shaky breath before I could continue. The hardest part about all of this was that…"He's not immortal. He is still aging…"

I quickly took a glance at Edward. He was looking back at me with fear and sadness in his eyes.

I turned to look back at Aro when I felt a wave of desire and more curiosity flow from him.

I took a deep breath.

"What about his gift?" he asked joyfully.

I was hoping he wouldn't ask about that certain ability, but he obviously wouldn't over look something like that.

"It has also advanced. He can still read the thoughts of others, but he can also transfer his own thoughts into another person's mind. He has recently been able to turn off his gift and block all thoughts from his own mind."

Aro's eyes widened and his excitement went through the roof.

"This is quite the discovery! I never thought a half-breed would be possible."

Jeeze, he's calling me a damn half-breed? That's original…

Aro grinned and had an evil glint in his eyes.

He was already scheming up something. I could tell.

"Aro, we don't know completely how this is possible, or if healing his bite was the cause of this. We can't say for sure if this can be replicated."

"You know me well, Isabella." Aro half-smiled. "Regardless, I wish to find out more about this new discovery. We must figure out if there are any draw backs. Maybe this will be helpful to us in the future."

I didn't like where this was going…

"So where does that leave us, Aro?" I asked motioning to myself, Edward, and Alice.

"Hmm…well things have become a little complicated now, haven't they? I would like to consult with Caius and Marcus before we make any decisions. Brothers, join me in the study so we can discuss this privately first."

With out another word the three of them glided out of the room through the door that led to their private meeting room.

My nerves instantly heightened.

What will happen now?

Suddenly Edward was beside me and he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in towards his chest.

I love you, Bella. He kissed the top of my head. Things will be ok, love.

I sighed.

I felt a wave of jealousy and I turned to look at Felix.

His eyes were narrowed as he watched Edward and I.

He then became uneasy and slightly terrified as I glared at him.

Edward rolled his eyes and then rubbed small circles on my side to calm me down.

I turned to look in Edward's eyes and smiled.

His bright green eyes were shinning with love, as mine mirrored back in his in dark brown.

I sent him a wave of my love and he grinned crookedly.

I heard a gagging noise come from Jane and a chuckle from Alec.

Bitch.

I sent her a feeling of human constipation.

She groaned.

I evilly smirked in her direction.

She huffed and I could feel her gift nudging at my shield, trying to break through.

Just then the door opened and Aro followed by Caius and Marcus stepped out and returned back to their previous positions.

I straightened up and took Edward and Alice's hands in mine.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence Aro finally spoke.

"Isabella, when you left Volterra the last time, I requested that you return with Alice and Edward so that I may invite them to join the guard." He paused and looked directly at Alice.

"Would you like to join us, dear Alice?" He asked enthusiastically.

"I'm sorry, but I will have to decline." Alice replied sweetly.

He sighed in disappointment and then turned to Edward and smirked.

"And what about you, Edward, would you care to join our guard?"

"No." Edward answered loud and stern.

Aro narrowed his eyes at him, anger rolled off of him.

"Thank you for considering me good enough to join, Aro. But I have no interest in being on the Volturi guard. I don't mean to be rude. I hope you can understand…" He added quickly with fake politeness.

Nice save, Edward…

Aro's anger began to subside, but it quickly turned into irritation.

"Very well then. Are these your final decisions?"

Edward and Alice both nodded.

"This changes everything then." He continued. His voice became somewhat cheerful.

I was confused by his sudden change of emotions.

"So are we free to leave then?" Alice asked.

Aro smiled at Alice and nodded.

"Yes Alice, you are free to leave when ever you wish, as well as Isabella. Although, I do wish you would stay for a little while longer so we can get to know each other."

I sudden pang of fear spread throughout my body.

"What…What do you mean Alice and I can leave when ever we wish? What about Edward?" I said with panic laced in every word.

Caius had a devious grin plaster over his face. Aro simply smiled and Marcus seemed indifferent.

"Well, my dear Isabella. We don't know for sure what Edward is or will be capable of and until we know his existence is completely safe for our kind, he must stay here in the castle so we can watch and observe him."

"NO!" I cried. "He will do no such thing, Aro. He doesn't belong here. He's not dangerous. And he's already proven that he will not expose us. He doesn't even have the strength to harm any vampire!"

Caius growled. Aro hissed at him and he ceased his growling.

I pulled Edward behind me.

"If he does not agree to stay here then the only other option will be to destroy him." Aro declared.

Alice gasped and took a protective stance in front of Edward. I did the same.

Aro sighed and shook his head.

"I truly do not wish to harm him. It would be such a waste." He paused. "But you will leave me no other choice."

Edward placed his hand on my shoulder and his other on Alice's.

I turned to look at him with furrowed brows.

He pushed us aside and took a step forward.

I instantly grabbed his wrist.

"No…" I begged.

It's the only way.

In this moment, I felt exactly the way I had that day I bit him.

I felt useless.

Hopeless.

I hesitantly let go of his wrist.

Edward took another step forward and my heart felt as it had ripped in two.

My eyes burned.

The venom pooled and threatened to fall, if only I was capable of tears.

"Aro, if I agree to stay here, will you agree to not subject me to any of your experiments? I do not wish to be any part of that."

Aro took a moment to think about it and then smiled.

"I think we can agree to that." He said.

Edward nodded.

"Felix." He called out. "Make arrangements for his private dorm."

This was all becoming too real, too painful.

I stepped forward and took Edward's hand in mine.

"Aro, that won't be necessary." I said loudly.

What are you doing, Bella? This is the only way for us all to be safe…

I ignored his thoughts and continued.

"He will stay in my room. I hope it won't be too much of a disturbance if I stay as well then."

Bella, no! You have to go back with Alice…please.

I will never leave your side, Edward.

But Bella, you hate this place…are you sure?

I gave Edward a small reassuring smile before turning my attention back to Aro.

His smile widened and triumph flowed from his every pore.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, but I have some requests of my own, Aro." Aro stiffened but I continued.

"Edward and I will just be guests here. He's here to be watched over but not to be controlled. He wants to go to college, and I would appreciate it you do not disturb his studies. I would like to ask that we be allowed to visit our family and not be confined to only the castle." I said confidently.

He slightly narrowed his eyes and his irritation started to rise again.

I sent him a small dose of calm and compassion.

He became less tense and cleared his throat.

"You are quite lucky that I like you, Isabella. I've always had a soft spot for you." He smiled. "I will grant you these requests but there will be some ground rules. We will discuss them at a later time."

I nodded.

"You may all leave now. We will have another meeting in a few days to sort out the details and rules. I bid you all a good night."

Aro, Caius, and Marcus lifted their hoods and disappeared to different parts of the castle.

Slowly the rest of the guards began to leave as well.

Alice embraced Edward and me in a hug.

I could feel her sadness and relief much more refined now.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see who it was.

Bethany stood behind me with Demetri holding her at the waist.

"I'm so sorry about all this Ella. I wish there was something I could do. It's truly unfair for both of you." She hung her head in guilt.

"It's ok Bethany. At least we're all safe now. It's just going to take some getting use to, is all."

She gave me a small smile and then walked off with Demetri at her side.

"Come on, let's go to my room. We need to call Carlisle and let him know what happened." I announced.

We slowly made our way back to my room.

My emotions were in high gear and I was dreading the call I would have to make now.

The three of us sat on my couch and Alice reached for her phone and handed it to me.

I opened the phone and stared at Carlisle's number for a few moments.

Edward pulled me up on to his lap and kissed my temple.

I pressed call and put the phone on speaker.

The phone rang once.

"Hello?"

"Hey Carlisle…" I said softly.

"So did all go well?" he asked anxiously.

I sighed.

"Not exactly as we had hoped for…"

I heard a clicking sound come from his phone. I assumed he had now put the phone on speaker as well.

"Oh dear, are you all ok?" Esme asked.

"Yes, we're all fine." Alice said.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked.

"Aro has become very interested in Edward's changes…He wants to study and experiment on how it happened."

I heard a collection of their gasps.

"He's going to experiment on Edward?!" Rosalie asked, completely disgusted at the thought.

"No…He agreed not to use Edward as a guinea pig."

It was silence for a moment.

"He's going to do the same thing he did 250 years ago…"

I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"What do you mean Carlisle?" I asked.

"Well I'm not completely sure on the specifics. But I did hear about it while I was there. He had been conducting an experiment on children." He let out a frustrated sigh before continuing. "He wanted to see if they would be suitable as vampires. They bit a few dozen infants, toddlers and some pre-teens to see how the venom would affect them. Most of them died before their change, but the ones that did survive were shortly after destroyed. They were too primitive, they could not be controlled. That is why the Volturi have banned the turning of immortal children…"

Alice gasped and placed her hand at her chest.

"That's horrible!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I had heard rumors about that…I didn't know it was true though…" I admitted.

"I just hope he doesn't get too carried away this time…" Carlisle trailed off.

A few more seconds of silence.

"So when will you three be coming home?" he asked.

I frowned.

Alice bit her lip to keep back from sobbing.

"Alice is the only one going back." I said, my voice cracking at the end.

"What do you mean Alice will be the only one coming back?" Carlisle asked wearily.

"Aro believes that the uncertainty of Edward's changes is too dangerous for him to be anywhere but here in Volterra. He's making Edward stay at the castle to keep close watch on him to make sure nothing happens…well at least that's what he's making it out to look like. I will be staying here with Edward. I could never leave his side. And Aro knows that. I'm sure this was his plan all along…" I answered.

I could hear a few growls from the other end and Esme sobbing in the background.

Listening to her sobs made the pit of my stomach twist and turn.

It made me ached to hear her in such sadness, she was the closest thing I had to a mother now.

It was my fault that we're in this situation.

And now I'm ripping away her son from her.

That's twice now in her lifetime that her child has been taken away from her.

Guilt washed over me and I could feel the lump in my throat threatening to turn into sobs.

Edward tightened his grip around my waist and placed kisses on the top of my head.

This isn't your fault, love. Please stop blaming yourself.

I frowned.

But it is my fault…

Edward sighed.

"Is there anything we can do? Is there any other way?" Esme's muffled voice asked.

"I'm sorry, Esme. There isn't…Aro said it was either this or he would be forced to...hurt Edward. This was the only way…" I said lowering my voice and staring at the floor willing myself not to break down.

"I...I understand." She said softly.

"This is complete bullshit! I can't believe those assholes! Why are they doing this to us?!" Emmett growled.

I heard glass shatter and the sounds of plaster crumbling.

I faintly heard Rose try to comfort him and take him outside.

"This will be extremely hard on all of us, but we'll find a way to make everything better." Alice said as she tried to put on the best smile she could.

"I hope you're right, Alice." Carlisle said. Though he didn't sound too confident.

"Alice, when will you be coming back?" Jasper asked after a few moments of more silence.

Alice looked from me to Edward then back to me.

I don't want to leave you both here so soon…but I miss Jasper so much already…

I nodded assuring her we would be ok.

Her eyes glazed over for a brief second.

"The next flight out will be in a couple of hours. I'll be back home soon." She said with a small smile.

"Carlisle," I started. "Aro will be meeting with us again in a few days to figure everything out of what we will be able to do during our stay here. I'll call you again when we have more news."

"Ok. Please keep us updated, and take care of yourselves. You know better than any of us what the Volturi are capable of. If you need anything, anything at all, just call and let me know."

"We will."

"And we'll see you soon, Alice." He finished.

"I love you both very much." Esme said softly trying to keep her voice even.

"I love you too, Mom." Edward and I said at the same time.

"Be safe." Were the last words she said before she hung up.

I closed the phone and gave it back to Alice.

She stood up and walked towards the balcony.

"I'm going to call the airport."

I nodded and took Edward's hand in mine.

We walked up to my bedroom and lay in bed together.

We lay there in silence, my head on his chest and his chin resting on my head.

I glanced up at his face after a few minutes and saw a single tear running down his cheek.

I swiftly sat up and kiss away the small droplet.

I cupped both of his cheeks and looked deep into his eyes.

"I love you, Edward."

He pressed his forehead to mine.

"I love you too, Bella." He placed a soft kiss on my lips and then let out a small sigh. "I just wish there was another way. I wish I could get away, forget about everything that just happened. It's just too much…"

"Edward, I'm here. We'll get through this. Nothing will ever tear us apart. I promise."

He took a strand of my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear.

The warm of his hand made me smile and I nudged myself closer to the warmth.

He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

There was only one thing I could think of to make him forget about all the chaos in our lives, even if it was just for a little while.

I embraced him in a soft passionate kiss and made love to him.


*Insert 'awwws' here*

Alright, so it's sort of a sad ending I guess…

I hope you guys are ok with it though, I mean I will have a sequel and all! =)

Make sure you guys have me on Author Alert though!

I may or may not do an epilogue.

If I do, it will probably just be a snippet of what's to come in the sequel. ^_^

Please leave reviews with suggestions for a new title!

A little help?

I'm completely drawing a blank for one. O.o

If I get a couple of good ones, I'll put up a poll so that you can vote on what the title should be.

Sound good?

XD

Love you guys!

I send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who has ever reviewed my story.

Until next time!

Your lovely author,

Jan